Ruth McEnery Stuart
| birth_place = Marksville, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana | death_date = June | death_place = New York City | resting_place = New Orleans, Louisiana | nationality = United States | other_names = Mary Routh McEnery Stuart | known_for = Sonny (1896) | occupation = Writer | spouse = Alfred Oden Stuart }} Ruth McEnery Stuart (May 21, 1849 - June 5, 1917) was an American poet and story writer. Life Overview Stuart was active in her literary career from 1888 until 1917, producing some 75 works. She was known not just for her writing, but also for oral performances of her work. Her most famous work is said to be Sonny (1896). Youth and marriage Stuart was born Mary Routh McEnery Stuart, child of Mary Routh (Stirling) and James McEnery, in Marksville, Louisiana. (She changed the spelling of her name to "Ruth" after she began her career in literature.) Stuart's true date of birth is not known with certainty. In addition to the date shown here in 1849, Stuart's date of birth is also shown as 19 February 1852 on her marriage certificate. When she was 3, Stuart moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she grew up. Stuart taught school in New Orleans until she married Arkansas farmer Alfred Oden Stuart on 6 August 1879. Stuart was a widower with 11 children; he died in 1883, and she returned to New Orleans. Ruth and Alfred had a son, but he died in 1904 or 1905. Career Stuart published a story in February 1888 in the New Princeton Review, and sold a 2nd story to ''Harpers New Monthly Magazine'' shortly thereafter.. In the early 1890s she moved to New York City. Between 1891 and -97 she produced "20 books, short stories, sketches, and reprinted verses she had originally published in magazines". She was also occasionally a sub-editor at Harpers. Stuart died in New York City in 1917, and was buried in New Orleans. Writing Stuart has been characterized as belonging to the school of "American local color writing that emphasizes regional characteristics in landscape, way of life, and language." Stuart's treatment of blacks forms a significant portion of her corpus and, if potentially troublesome today, "contemporary critics acclaimed her as providing an authentic representation of African Americans." Her work is said to be of the same school as Kate Chopin. Recognition Stuart's work was appreciated in England. She became a member of the Lyceum Club there in 1904. In 1915 she was granted an honorary Litt.D. in 1915 by University. Also in 1915 a literary club, Ruth McEnery Stuart Clan, was founded in her honor. Publications Poetry *''Plantation Songs, and other verse. New York: Appleton, 1916. Novels *Woman's Exchange of Simpkinsville. New York: Harper, 1899. *The Snow-cap Sister: A burlesque. New York: Harper, 1901; New York & London: Harper, 1905. *Napoleon Jackson: The gentleman of the plush rocker. New York: Century, 1902. *The River's Children: an Idyll of the Mississippi. New York: Century, 1904. *The Unlived Live of Little Mary Ellen. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1910. *The Cocoon: A rest-cure comedy. New York: Hearst's, 1915. Short fiction *"Jessekiah Brown's Courtship." ''Harper's Monthly 84:504 (May 1892).Harper's Monthly Magazine May 1892, Volume 84 Number 504, Pages 933 to 941. *''A Golden Wedding, and other tales. New York: Harper, 1893. *''Carlotta's Intended, and other tales. New York: Harper, 1894; Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1969. *''Sonny: A Christmas guest. New York: Century, 1896. *Solomon Crowe's Christmas Pockets, and other tales. New York: Harper, 1896; Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1969. *In Simpkinsville: Character tales. New York: Harper, 1897; Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1969. *Moriah's Mourning, and other half-hour sketches. New York & London: Harper, 1898; Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1969. *Holly and Pizen, and other stories. New York: Century, 1899; Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1969. *The Second Wooing of Salina Sue and Other Stories. New York: Harper, 1905. *Aunt Amity's Silver Wedding, and other stories. New York: Century, 1909. *Sonny's Father: In which the father, now become grandfather, a kindly observer of life and a genial philosopher, in his desultory talks with the family doctor, carries along the story of Sonny. New York: Century, 1910. *The Haunted Photograph / Whence and whither / A case in diplomacy / The afterglow. New York: Century, 1911. *''Simpkinsville and Vicinity: The Arkansas stories of Ruth McEnery Stuart. Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press, 1983. Juvenile *''The Story of Babette: A little Creole girl.New York: Harper, 1894. *Gobolinks; or, Shadow pictures for young and old'' (with Albert Bigelow Paine). New York: Century, 1896. *''George Washington Jones, a Christmas gift that went a-begging. Philadelphia: Altemus, 1903. *Daddy Do-Funny's Wisdom Jingles. New York: Century, 1913. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Ruth McEnery Stuart, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 5, 2015. See also *List of U.S. poets References *Joan Wylie Hall, "'White Momma ... Black Mammy': Replacing the absent mother in the works of Ruth McEnery Stuart" in ] *Judy E. Sneller, "Bad boys/black misfits: Ruth McEnery Stuart's humor and 'the negro question'" in Notes External links ;Poems *"Sitting Blind by the Sea" in Poetry ;Books * *Ruth (McEnery) Stuart at Amazon.com ;About *Mary Routh McEnery Stuart in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture *Ruth McEnery Stuart at 64 Parishes Category:Articles created via the Article Wizard Category:1849 births Category:1917 deaths Category:19th-century American novelists Category:20th-century American novelists Category:American women novelists Category:Writers from Arkansas Category:Writers from Louisiana Category:Writers from New York City Category:20th-century women writers Category:19th-century women writers Category:19th-century poets Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Women poets Category:American poets Category:American women writers